Attorneys from the village and the county are trying to determine whether moving the floating museum is permitted under the lease agreement, which reserves the dock for commercial fisherman, according to Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski (D-Cutchogue).

The review of the lease comes weeks after Greenport Village Board members approved the mooring of the historic boat at the railroad dock by a 3-2 vote with Trustees David Murray and Mary Bess Phillips in opposition.

The county leases the railroad dock to the village for a token fee of $1 per year, according to Mayor David Nyce. In exchange, Greenport maintains the dock. The county, however, is the final authority on who can use the dock and it has the right to refuse any sublease agreement the village enters into regarding the railroad dock, the mayor said.

The contract between the village and the Fireboat Fire Fighter Museum to dock the vessel at Mitchell Park Marina expired in June. Since its arrival in Greenport in February, the plan has been to ultimately move Fire Fighter to a permanent berth at the railroad dock near the East End Seaport Museum to free up the taxpayer-funded marina for its intended use as a public facility for recreational boaters.

Housing Fire Fighter at the railroad dock has drawn outrage from fishermen, who said the move conflicts with the village’s law to support and maintain a working waterfront. Many have called the overall condition of the boat into questioning.

Though the boat had not been hauled out, it was inspected last fall, Mayor Nyce said.